Beneath the Shadowlanders

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Abigail

It's almost 8:00 by the time I finish cataloguing everything in the lab. I send a quick text to my mother, assuring her that I'm alright, I'm still at the lab, and I have a curfew pass. I grab the requisition sheet, filled with my tiny, neat handwriting, and head for the locker room, flicking the lights off as I head out the door, and locking the door securely behind me. I take one last moment to stare – my very own lab – before going to change.

I neatly fold my scrubs, placing them in the bottom of my locker, and hang my lab coat up on one of the provided hooks. My badge, I repin to my sweater, so I don't forget it. I feel a little more at home already in my jeans, as I head upstairs to drop off my requisition sheet.

I'm about to shove the paper under the door when it opens. Stunned, I lose my balance and fall backwards, landing on my ass. I look up to see Terrance Regent's laughing face, and I feel a flush crawl into my cheeks.

He holds out a hand and I right myself, shoving the sheet of paper into his hand and turning to walk away as fast as I can.

"Wait!" he calls after me, running up to catch my arm. "I'm sorry," he laughs, "I had no idea you were still here. Please, allow me to make it up to you."

I stop, curious. How?"

"Have dinner with me." He releases my arm, those green eyes pleading with me.

It's too difficult to resist. "Alright, fine. Just let me text my mom."

He laughs, but agrees, and I shoot her a quick text. "Having dinner with my boss. Be home late. Don't wait up. Love you!"

"Alright, where to?" I ask.

His hand brushes mine as he walks past and our fingers latch gently. "Follow me," he responds with a mischievous smile and a finger placed tantalizingly over his lips.

I comply, and he leads me out of the building and down a street into a neighborhood I haven't been to before. The longer we walk, the firmer our grips become, until there's no denying we're holding hands. My heart races.

When he stops in front of a massive house, I do a double take. As he starts walking up the front sidewalk, I start to wonder if I'm crazy. Or if he is. Normally houses like this only go to people with huge families. No one gets more rooms than they absolutely need. And then a thought occurs to me. Oh, god. What if he has a huge family? What if he's married already, with like five kids? What if he's about to take me in there and introduce me to his wife? Maybe this isn't a date. Oh, god, or what if it is? What if he's one of those polygamist Mormon guys and he wants me to be, like, his fifth wife or something?

My thoughts are silenced, however, when opens the door with a flourish, remarking, "One of the perks of owning all the food. Nice, big house all to myself."

I step through the open door and into a living room that can only be described as magnificent. The walls are literally painted gold, and there's a lavender fainting couch in front of a grand staircase to the upper floor. There's a balcony, just like in the UHC building, running across the upper level. Behind it, I can see three doors – probably bedrooms. I bothers me just a tiny bit that all this space is going to just one person, but I don't let it get to me. Across from the fainting couch is a leather armchair with a matching ottoman. A silver lamp hangs over the top of the chair. A wood coffee table sits in the middle on an intricately patterned rug. I slip my shoes off at the door and feel the plush carpet under my feet. He leads me into the kitchen, where he starts pulling food out of a stainless steel refrigerator. Chicken breasts, mushrooms, butter, even what looks like a bottle of wine. I briefly wonder where he managed to acquire that down here, but decide to ignore it.